US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) left its homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on January 15, to join the Carl Vinson carrier strike group on a Western Pacific deployment.

Michael Murphy deployed with a crew of approximately 320 sailors and a detachment of MH-60R helicopters from Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 37, the “Easyriders,” based out of Kaneohe Bay. The ship joined the strike group as it transited toward the Western Pacific.

“The crew of USS Michael Murphy has trained extensively for this deployment and is ready to execute all missions as part of the Carl Vinson Strike Group and US 3rd Fleet,” said Cmdr. Kevin Louis, the ship’s commanding officer.

The deployment marks the second time the Carl Vinson strike group will operate throughout the Indo-Pacific region under US 3rd Fleet’s command and control. The strike group became the first in recent history to demonstrate a command and control construct called Third Fleet Forward when units completed a six-month deployment last year.